Apr 1, 2017 1 min read

BEAVER (AP) – A man charged in the rape and slaying of his ex-girlfriend in western Pennsylvania has testified that he never intended to kill the victim.

The Beaver County Times reports that 27-year-old Edward Baker took the stand Friday in Beaver County and said a “grenade” went off in his brain and 30-year-old Addaleigh Huzyak “was just in the crossfire.”

Authorities say the victim broke up with Baker the week before she was killed in June in her apartment in Beaver. Investigators said he waited for her there, shot her twice and slit her throat. He was later arrested in Kentucky.

Baker, a registered sex offender since 2013, tearfully apologized to the victim’s parents and described a troubled family life and anxiety and depression diagnoses.

Closing arguments are expected Monday.